What Happened To The Jazz Vinyl Countdown?

In an earlier post, Rudolf poses the following statement and question: “Al announced the slimming down of his collection a while ago. But I don’t see anything else but buying records by the lot, ‘improving’ on quality, etc., etc. Al: I just would like an honest reply to my straightforward question (the lovely Mrs. JC is not tuned in, so your reply can be honest). The question: With how many albums has your collection grown since your slimming down action?”

Ahem.

I will answer the question directly and then go into some level of explanation. Since the launch of what I affectionately called The Great Jazz Vinyl Countdown almost exactly a year ago – September 29, 2009, if anyone would like to go back to the archives – I would say that my “collection” has increased by about 50 records, while the number of records in my house has grown by several hundred, at least.

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Odds and Ends and Blue Notes

Here are some jazz vinyl odds and ends we’ve been watching for various reasons. We’re not expecting that all of these will end up in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, but they all have something of interest.

We were watching this one because it was listed as an original pressing even though it wasn’t: Kenny Drew Trio, Riverside 224. This was a blue-label pressing when the original was really a white label. The seller was very clear in stating that this was a “first mono pressing.” Ah well. The record was only in VG- condition and the cover was VG. Not an original and not in great condition and it sold for $87. That seems to be the going rate these days perhaps and, perhaps, maybe someone needed a new cover. Not for me in that condition at that price.

We were watching this to get a sense of what the solid blue label Blue Notes are selling for these days: Dexter Gordon, Dexter Calling, Blue Note 84083. This  in M- condition for both the record and the cover and it sold for $29. This probably means that a Liberty pressing of this record would be in the $50 or $60 range, don’t you think?

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Mobley Sets New Top Vinyl Price For Jazz Collector

Time to catch up on a few items. By now, most of you have probably seen what happened with those records we were watching from the Jazz Record Center. The Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568 sold for $5,101, which is the highest price we’ve ever recorded for a jazz record at Jazz Collector. The previous high was $4,036 for a copy of Jackie McLean, The New Tradition, on Ad Lib. A lot of people have already commented on this one, so I don’t have much to add other than what I’ve often said: The market is the market and eBay reflects what the market will bear. This is the going rate for this record in this condition at this point in time. I was wrong, barely on a couple of my predictions. (1) I had opined that two of the other records from this auction would sell for more than $2,000 and only one of them did: Hank Mobley, Hank, Blue Note 1560, which is the one pictured here. This one sold for $2,347. The one that did not break the $2,000 barrier was:

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New Jazz Record Center Auction Could Be Big

Got an email from the Jazz Record Center and they have an auction closing in a couple of days and it could be a doozy. Here’s one of the items we’ll be watching closely, to see if it perhaps sets a new record for Jazz Collector: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original pressing and it’s in M- condition: In fact, it’s listed as “near new.” The combination of one of the rarest records, a Blue Note at that, and the most trusted seller, is definitely worth watching. So far, the record has a start price of $2,500 and there are no bidders.

Here are a couple more we’ll be watching from the same auction:

Dexter Gordon, Dexter Blows Hot and Cool, Dootone 209. This is an original red vinyl pressing. The record is in M- condition and the cover seems to have been repaired, but is also listed as very clean. This one has a start price of

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Rare Jazz Vinyl Collectibles From Three Tenors

We did a whole riff on this record a few months ago and actually came up with some never-heard-before tapes of J.R. Monterose, which, to my knowledge, may still be available. Check it out here and here. Anyway, another copy of this record sold recently: J.R. Monterose In Action, Studio 4 SS 100. This was an original pressing. The vinyl was listed as M- and the cover looked to be VG++, based on the description. The price was $1,911.

Here’s another non Blue Note for the $1,000 bin: Dexter Gordon, Dexter Blows Hot and Cool, Dootone 207. This was an original red vinyl pressing. The record was listed as VG++ and the cover was VG+. The price was $1,137.

This one really got top dollar, more than you would normally expect to see for a Jazzland LP:

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Jazz Vinyl on eBay: Lee, Jutta, Dex, Rouse

It is the Memorial Day weekend here in the States and I am off to the city of Providence this morning for my son’s graduation from grad school at Brown University. Perhaps I will sneak in a chance to visit Steve at Round Again Records, where there are always a few gems stashed away on the shelves. In the meantime, I have taken a few moments to peruse eBay and find some interesting items for us all to watch this weekend.

If you’ve been watching eBay the past few days, you’ve probably seen the extremely nice group of records by the seller roverd-90, including: Lee Morgan, Candy, Blue Note 1590. This is an original pressing and it looks to be in quite pristine, near mint condition. The current price is nearly $800 and we would expect this to sell for more than $2,000 and perhaps even more than $3,000. From the same seller is this:

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Jazz Vinyl, Blue Note, A Lovely Way To Start the Day

This seller has a couple of nice 10-inch Blue Notes closing soon: Lou Donaldson, New Faces, New Sounds, Blue Note 5021. This is listed as VG++ for the vinyl and VG++ for the cover. The current price is about $230.  Also: Fats Navarro Memorial Album, Blue Note 5004. This is also in VG++ condition for the record and the cover. The price is about $160. As I type this both of these have a few hours before they close.

We’ve also been watching a few other nice Blue Notes that closed in the past couple of days, including. Dexter Gordon, Our Man in Paris, Blue Note 4146. This was a New York USA pressing with the deep grooves on both sides. The cover and vinyl appeared to be in VG++ condition and the sales price was $349.

Lee Morgan, Lee Way, Blue Note 4034. This was an original pressing that was listed in VG++ condition for the vinyl and similar condition for the cover, although

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On eBay: Dex, Garland, Trane

I wound up taking a six-week hiatus from selling records on eBay after my mom passed away, but I am back now and have been busy posting records by the armful the past couple of weeks. Some of the items are records I’ve written about on Jazz Collector, so we can see whether my investments were wise or not so wise. Here are a few:

Stan Levey, This Time the Drum’s on Me, Bethlehem 37. This is a record that features some very rare Dexter Gordon from the 1950s. It’s amazing to think how infrequently Dexter was recorded during this period, when you would have expected him to be quite prolific. Anyway, I bought this record in a batch of other records and wrote about it under the title: Taking a Chance on Junk Vinyl. It was among a group of 25 records and the whole batch cost me $30. This is already at $40 on eBay and should sell for a bit more than that.

Red Garland with John Coltrane, High Pressure, Prestige 7209. This was one of the ones I purchased in the

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Jazz Vinyl Give-Away: Dexter Gordon on Blue Note

Time to complete our latest give-away contest. It’s been so long perhaps some of you, like me, had forgotten what we are giving away. Here it is: Dexter Gordon, Blue Note LA393-H2. This is part of the Blue Note Re-Issue Series from 1975. It is a double LP and it is still in its original factory seal. The record is a compilation of some of Dexter’s best work on Blue Note, starting with selections from Dexter Calling in 1961 and extending to Gettin’ Around in 1965. As always, the rules to be eligible for the give-away are simple: All you have to do is comment on the Jazz Collector site during the course of the contest and you are put in the pool of names. That’s it. I am also pleased to report that the number of comments and commenters on the site has reached record-high numbers and we have

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Taking A Chance on Junk Vinyl

I will let you in on one of my dirty little collecting secrets. Sometimes I will take a flyer and bid on a box or collection of records on eBay from a seller who may not know what he’s doing. The goal is to find one or two gems. I do this for a few reasons: 1. I’m a gambler at heart, so I’m always one to take risks.  2. The first time I ever did this I bought a box of records for about $60 and, when they arrived, they were loaded with original Verves and Prestiges that I estimated to be worth at least $3,000. So I was a bit hooked.  3. The cost of shipping these boxes overseas is often prohibitive so, generally, the competition for these items is not so steep, just U.S. buyers. Which brings me to my most recent purchase, shown in the picture. It was clear when I looked at the picture that just about every record here was virtually worthless. Except for one. Can you identify it? Look at the

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